'Terror on Tape' wins TV award
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LONDON, England (CNN) -- Exclusive CNN revelations about al Qaeda, unveiled from a cache of training tapes, has won an award from the Royal Television Society (RTS) in London.
"Terror on Tape," a series of news stories from videos, discovered last summer by CNN senior international correspondent Nic Robertson and his team in Afghanistan, won the International News Journalism award on Wednesday night.
CNN broadcast the series over a week last August. It was the only international news network to be recognised in the RTS awards, the most prestigious in UK broadcasting.
The judges described "Terror on Tape" as a genuine scoop, praising Robertson's meticulous research and careful, straightforward story-telling. They said it made a genuine contribution to the understanding of the al Qaeda network.
The award was accepted by Mark Phillips, the cameraman who helped Robertson obtain the tapes. Robertson is currently reporting for CNN from Baghdad.
"Nic and his team showed outstanding courage in obtaining these tapes and this award is a tribute to their depth of knowledge of Afghanistan and the contacts they have established there," said Tony Maddox, CNN International's senior vice president for Europe, Africa and the Middle East.
Robertson, who has reported regularly from Afghanistan since 1996, spent several weeks tracking the tapes in Afghanistan. The tapes delivered new insights into the training methods of al Qaeda showing how they train in the field, including assassinations, kidnappings and urban combat.
Last year CNN won its first RTS award for innovation in the use of the satellite videophone, pioneered for CNN by Robertson.
